[PS2] Okami

Originally Posted by PiccoloNamek

Fear not, Metal Sphere, for we Occuria have chosen you, and you alone. Now take this helpful quicktime video, and use it to destroy Venat. Or solve the Kanji puzzle, if you want.

http://www.sendspace.com/file/wx27tu

Heh, thanks. But it says the download link's been updated, but that there's an error or something. SouthJag, I only have these left:

48 - The one Piccolo's helping me on now
65 - This one I'll tackle before the other one
79 - Doing this one right after #65, after considerable stealing+battling for enough money/horns for Peaches/Stones/Steel Soul-Steel Fist items.

Question:

Stray Bead challenge/weapon spoilers:

What weapon setups did you guys go in there with? I stick with dual mirrors because, as the game says, the offensive/defensive setup is fantastic. The perfect counter is a nice way to avoid damage, and after all the relevant dojo training, the combos are savage especially when you're abusing an enemy with Steel Fist+Vengeance+Mist. I tested that out on the Bandit Spider in #65's cave. This thing went down fast. With the amount of each I'm already nearing, and considering the long effect time of vengeance and inkfinity, I should be in the green, right?

There's no Brown Rage/White Fury using bastards in there, right?

Most amazing jew boots

Quote:

Heh, thanks. But it says the download link's been updated, but that there's an error or something.

Really? I'll try again then.

Jam it back in, in the dark.

Originally Posted by PiccoloNamek

Really? I'll try again then.

Yeah, I clicked the download link and it opens another window and says something about an error and the file being updated.

How ya doing, buddy?

Ok, let's try this:

http://www.sendspace.com/file/vxax7b

Edit: Verified functional.

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

Metal, I'm using a sword/shield combo. Having the sword as a primary weapon lets you abuse the charge attack easily, and the shield as a secondary weapon still lets you use that counter ability. Uber damage can be done with two swords equipped, since you can charge them both simultaneously.

I rarely use rosaries except when my godhood runs out. Those bead weapons allow for long chains, and high combo chains restore godhood.

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

Originally Posted by PiccoloNamek

Ok, let's try this:

http://www.sendspace.com/file/vxax7b

Edit: Verified functional.

HOLY SHIT.

Not two seconds pass after I saw your symbol (dear god, where did it say the two horizontal lines had to be that far apart?), I nail it. Jesus, you don't know how fucking grateful I am to get this out of the way.

Now, I'm off to slaughter some folks over in K-land, and get enough money/items (50 of each, maybe 60) to last me in that uber-challenge.

Originally Posted by SouthJag

Metal, I'm using a sword/shield combo. Having the sword as a primary weapon lets you abuse the charge attack easily, and the shield as a secondary weapon still lets you use that counter ability. Uber damage can be done with two swords equipped, since you can charge them both simultaneously.

The problem with the swords is that they're entirely too slow. I don't know if it's because of their size, but they take far longer to inflict damage than a Mirror/Mirror combo. I mainly use that one because of the damage per second savagery that the dual mirror setup allows. It's not as fast as the beads, but they're much stronger and hit far faster than the next step up. Not to mention, I find any "downtime" in battle for holding buttons down/waiting for the glaive to swing dangerous, since it does leave you open a bit, without covering the much larger range of the mirrors.

Now if I was going one-on-one with an enemy? I'd go with the glaive, though I'd use a certain brush technique to negate its slow attack speed.

Quote:

I rarely use rosaries except when my godhood runs out. Those bead weapons allow for long chains, and high combo chains restore godhood.

I don't use them at all, as they don't stun, and it only seems to embolden enemies. If I lose godhood while fighting, it's just a notice telling me that I need to pay more attention/stop fucking up. I don't think running out will be a problem with a good supply of slips.

I was speaking idiomatically.

Originally Posted by Metal Sphere

HOLY SHIT.

LOL, no problem. I had a bunch of cheats turned on, so it only took me a few minutes to get into the city. Good luck with the Waka/Nagi/Evil Rao clone challenge.

Most amazing jew boots

Originally Posted by PiccoloNamek

LOL, no problem. I had a bunch of cheats turned on, so it only took me a few minutes to get into the city. Good luck with the Waka/Nagi/Evil Rao clone challenge.

Ah, I see. I was wondering if I had put you though too much trouble just help me out, and here you are zooming through. I've upgraded everything completely and all I need is 3 more Sun Fragments for my final piece of health, any ideas where they might be?

One more thing: Do you get rated in this game? Like deaths, money, etc? I played FFXII thinking you might get rated because there was a lot of potential stats to track, but that turned out to be wrong. I guess I assumed that since Tales of the Abyss rates you (monsters, time, money, battles,etc).

How ya doing, buddy?

Quote:

Ah, I see. I was wondering if I had put you though too much trouble just help me out, and here you are zooming through.

Well, relatively speaking. All in all, it took me about an hour, I'd say. I still had to do the Lucky Hammer quest, and kill Blight, and some other random stuff.

Quote:

One more thing: Do you get rated in this game? Like deaths, money, etc? I played FFXII thinking you might get rated because there was a lot of potential stats to track, but that turned out to be wrong. I guess I assumed that since Tales of the Abyss rates you (monsters, time, money, battles,etc).

Yes. Battles, money, praise, deaths, all that good stuff. Ratings range from a dead, wilted tree, to a cherry tree in full bloom.

What, you don't want my bikini-clad body?

You know, I read in a FAQ that when drawing that kanji symbol, the biggest thing you have to make sure of is the top horizontal line being larger than the middle one. Not that any of this is relevant, as you already completed it.

I realize that the dual reflectors is probably the most effective combo, but I hold true to my heart - I am, and always will be, a sword whore. Plain and simple.

Jam it back in, in the dark.

Originally Posted by PiccoloNamek

Well, relatively speaking. All in all, it took me about an hour, I'd say. I still had to do the Lucky Hammer quest, and kill Blight, and some other random stuff.

....

In an hour? Holy shit, you must be using some insane cheats to manage all that that quickly. Still it still sees like a bit of a chore.

story spoiler:

How'd you like chilling with Evil Rao, now that you know? Oh and what story twists really struck you? For me so far, it'd have to be Susano and his chickenshit self actually killing Orochi, the whole Rao business and Himiko getting killed. That last one really surprised me, since I figured this game wouldn't actually off someone. I'm amazed there wasn't any funeral scene and that only a few of the NPCs actually acknowledged her death.

Quote:

Yes. Battles, money, praise, deaths, all that good stuff. Ratings range from a dead, wilted tree, to a cherry tree in full bloom.

Wow, then I must have an A+++ grade or something, because I have an immense amount of battles under my belt (never ran away) as well as monsters killed. Praise, I'm worried about. Is getting enough to fill all your bars enough?

Damn, I've got to get these last two beads to see what I got.

Quote:

You know, I read in a FAQ that when drawing that kanji symbol, the biggest thing you have to make sure of is the top horizontal line being larger than the middle one. Not that any of this is relevant, as you already completed it.

That's what all the ones I checked kept saying. None mentioned the distance between the first line and the second, which seemed to be the grand salvation Piccolo delivered unto me (and anyone stuck on the damn kanji).

Quote:

I realize that the dual reflectors is probably the most effective combo, but I hold true to my heart - I am, and always will be, a sword whore. Plain and simple.

Oh, no doubt. Sometimes I just feel like using the swords because they're just awesome to see in action. It's just that I'm used to a fluid/responsive combat feel.

There's nowhere I can't reach.

Quote:

In an hour? Holy shit, you must be using some insane cheats to manage all that that quickly. Still it still sees like a bit of a chore.

I started a new game with all of the brush techniques already available, so I only did what I absolutely had to, and nothing else.

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

Best story moments?

Spoiler:

Well, I really liked that whole Dragon Palace scene, but I'll be damned if there was one thing that scared the shit outta me during the game, it was when you're near the Dragon Palace and swimming around in the water...

BAM!

Giant sea dragon swallows your furry white ass. Holy hell.

Edit: Wanted to add that I acquired the last Stray Bead I needed to before completing the game (still on my first run. I put it down for a while once I realized the only thing I had left to do was collect the beads), and it was a bitch to get.

Spoiler:

Had to race Kai through Yoshpet. She can run faster than Ammy can at her fastest speed! Only way I could beat her was to use a few Vengeance Slips -- those things kept me fromgetting hurt when running into the vine walls and even though I took damage, it kept me from getting frozen for a couple seconds when I ran into snowballs/ice spikes/stalagmites.

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

Originally Posted by PiccoloNamek

I started a new game with all of the brush techniques already available, so I only did what I absolutely had to, and nothing else.

Heh, you must've blazed through the game, since I remember taking forever to get to the city. Your brush techniques carry over?

Quote:

Best story moments?

Spoiler:

Well, I really liked that whole Dragon Palace scene, but I'll be damned if there was one thing that scared the shit outta me during the game, it was when you're near the Dragon Palace and swimming around in the water...

BAM!

Giant sea dragon swallows your furry white ass. Holy hell.

Spoiler:

Heh, after that whole Rao incident and the dragon trying to eat us on the way back to shore, I didn't go out to sea unless I was on Orca. What spooked me was heading into the Dragon Garden and wondering where it was only to get startled by the snoring/growling and gaping maw right in front of me.

Quote:

Edit: Wanted to add that I acquired the last Stray Bead I needed to before completing the game (still on my first run. I put it down for a while once I realized the only thing I had left to do was collect the beads), and it was a bitch to get.

Spoiler:

Had to race Kai through Yoshpet. She can run faster than Ammy can at her fastest speed! Only way I could beat her was to use a few Vengeance Slips -- those things kept me fromgetting hurt when running into the vine walls and even though I took damage, it kept me from getting frozen for a couple seconds when I ran into snowballs/ice spikes/stalagmites.

Spoiler:

Heh, that was the 4th one I needed outside of the three I posted above. It was a breeze, I just went through the entirety of Yoshpet (normal and inner) and purified the trees and generally memorized the layout. Since the race only takes place in the first 3 screens before Ponc'tan, that wasn't too hard. The trees throw way faster than back in Agata, but once they're bloomed, you have much less to worry about.

I will say this though, there's 3 massive shortcuts and a small one in the first screen. The other 2 are in the final map, simply jump when you see the wooden stakes in the ground and you literally leap over a gigantic section that normally you'd run. Once you hit the ground you see another bunch of stakes, jump over these and it's a hop and a skip away from the end. The other one is in the giant snowball map, right at the section where a ton come streaming down, stick to the right all and there's another convenient cut.

You're right about her being ridiculously fast, but with this I managed to catch up to her from two screens back the first time I screwed up. The next time? She was nowhere to be found.

Of course, the only thing keeping me from some awesome time was the damn purple vine crap. I have the jumping/timing skills of a pregnant cow, so I'd often mess up there.

BTW, I finished the final challenge thing before heading off to bed. I even semi-timed the whole affair.

• First Round, 4:49-4:55
• Second Round, 4:56-4:59
• Third Round, 5:00-5:02
• Fourth Round, 5:03-5:06
• Fifth Round, 5:07-5:11
• Sixth Round, 5:11-5:16
• Seventh Round, 5:16-5:18
• Eighth Round, 5:18-5:21
• Ninth Round, 5:21-5:25
• Tenth Round, 5:25-5:31

With Piccolo's help, I got #48 and I pulled off #65 as a quickie before hitting the sack. So now I have all the beads, and if I have time later today, I'll wrap Okami up (not really, I'm probably going to replay this game several times).

This is using the Steel Fist+Slips, so this is nothing compared to the feat you guys accomplished. The last few are ridiculous.

Spoiler:

The Waka and Evil Rao round? What the hell, the Wakas are brutal (constant sword spamming) and Rao constantly does that evasive roll (Nagi does the same too). The fifth round, BTW, was just some Bull Chargers, IIRC.

I was speaking idiomatically.

Spoiler:

The worst thing about that particular Demon Gate was Nagi. Especially the multiple clones. 4 Nagi's all spamming that flaming, homing sword technique? Hard as hell to dodge.

I was there was a way to extend the Mist technique. Certainly would've helped. 4 seconds is crap. ; ;

Most amazing jew boots

Originally Posted by SouthJag

Spoiler:

The worst thing about that particular Demon Gate was Nagi. Especially the multiple clones. 4 Nagi's all spamming that flaming, homing sword technique? Hard as hell to dodge.

I was there was a way to extend the Mist technique. Certainly would've helped. 4 seconds is crap. ; ;

Yeah, it's entirely too short but, it's also too easy to abuse even at its current setting. Maybe 6 seconds would be a nice medium, but that'd be ages for a monster.

Spoiler:

Yeah, his sword "missiles" was the #1 spammed move towards the end of that. His clones essentially did nothing more than use that irritating roll dodge like the Evil Raos, and the sword thing.

It didn't help that he had absolutely immense defenses. Even with the steel soul thing going, the damage being inflicted wasn't exactly spectacular. Heck, I even switched to a sword, but found he didn't take that much more damage. Again, I have to give it to you guys who did it the old fashioned way.

Me? If the enemy is coming rigged, so will I.

Edit: Just beat the game! Wow, that was great. Anyone have a link to the ending track? I was surprised that 1. it wasn't like most of the music in the game and 2. it had vocals, but it actually worked very well. I'll put some thoughts on the ending later.

Spoiler:

I got Karmic Transformers 1-9, is that all of them? I also got a stray bead, and a nice looking one at that, which created a necklace. Haven't checked out the new file yet, though.

How ya doing, buddy?

That necklace is the most awesome thing in the whole game. Open up your clear game file and check it out. And yes, you got all of the karmic transformers on the first try.

Spoiler:

How did you like the part where the world was offering its prayers to Ammy? I nearly cried during that part. I'm a big softy.

What, you don't want my bikini-clad body?

Originally Posted by PiccoloNamek

That necklace is the most awesome thing in the whole game. Open up your clear game file and check it out. And yes, you got all of the karmic transformers on the first try.

Spoiler:

How did you like the part where the world was offering its prayers to Ammy? I nearly cried during that part. I'm a big softy.

Yeah, I was definitely surprised with how awesome it is. Secrets in games have been meh for a long time now, glad to see Clover wasn't afraid to award you for all that trouble. BTW, what the hell does the Karmic Transformer #2 do? A lot of them are ridiculous, and that last one is... very odd to see in a heavily stylized game.

Spoiler:

The prayer thing reminded me of FFX and all of Spira singing the hymn of the faith to calm Sin down. It was really well done, I thought, for a game where the main character doesn't speak. One scene I that was pretty sad was the one after you defeat Yami's first form and Ammy "sees" old Issun asking for the howl, only to have him disappear. The sorrowful howl after was definitely tugging at my heartstrings, so you're not alone fellow softie!

Where was the F, D, C, B, A and S rating thing at the end? I never caught sight of the trees (only the ones given to me after the final Yami fight) and the next thing after the credits and all was me getting the Karmic tranformers (it went down the list, Deaths, etc..)

Oh, and the art on the disc? I have to have it. Direct me to where I can pick it up. I love both of Orochi's pieces, Yami's is nice too. Did you see the things they cut from the game? I would've loved to see where the Restoration Shrine, Deshima (city/town) would've been. Seeing that they had planned on a town for the Dragon Palace kind of makes me wish it hadn't been snipped, since it would've given that area a whole lot more appeal/relevance/etc...

One final thing: They left the game completely open for a fucking sequel. I was turn between glee at finishing such an awesome game, and realizing that all their hinting towards another title would produce anything.

Jam it back in, in the dark.

Spoiler:

Quote:

The prayer thing reminded me of FFX and all of Spira singing the hymn of the faith to calm Sin down. It was really well done, I thought, for a game where the main character doesn't speak. One scene I that was pretty sad was the one after you defeat Yami's first form and Ammy "sees" old Issun asking for the howl, only to have him disappear. The sorrowful howl after was definitely tugging at my heartstrings, so you're not alone fellow softie!

The saddest part for me was when the little sister of that atheist lady (the one who was standing under Sakuya) said something like "Is that doggy crying somewhere?" Aw!

Quote:

Where was the F, D, C, B, A and S rating thing at the end? I never caught sight of the trees (only the ones given to me after the final Yami fight) and the next thing after the credits and all was me getting the Karmic tranformers (it went down the list, Deaths, etc..)

Are you sure you didn't skip it? When I beat the game, at the very end, after all of the credits, I got a ranking screen.

Quote:

Oh, and the art on the disc? I have to have it. Direct me to where I can pick it up. I love both of Orochi's pieces, Yami's is nice too. Did you see the things they cut from the game? I would've loved to see where the Restoration Shrine, Deshima (city/town) would've been. Seeing that they had planned on a town for the Dragon Palace kind of makes me wish it hadn't been snipped, since it would've given that area a whole lot more appeal/relevance/etc...

Speaking of Yami, just what is Yami anyway? The machine, or the fish/seal thing inside? Both? Is the machine using the organic being as some sort of magic source, or does the organic part control the machine from the inside?

Quote:

One final thing: They left the game completely open for a fucking sequel. I was turn between glee at finishing such an awesome game, and realizing that all their hinting towards another title would produce anything.

One word: Kaguya. She is clearly a member of the Lunar tribe, just like Waka. If there was a sequel, she would certainly feature in it. She left in the rocket and we never heard from her again, so she would be perfect for a sequel.

There's nowhere I can't reach.

Originally Posted by PiccoloNamek

Spoiler:

The saddest part for me was when the little sister of that atheist lady (the one who was standing under Sakuya) said something like "Is that doggy crying somewhere?" Aw!

Are you sure you didn't skip it? When I beat the game, at the very end, after all of the credits, I got a ranking screen.

Speaking of Yami, just what is Yami anyway? The machine, or the fish/seal thing inside? Both? Is the machine using the organic being as some sort of magic source, or does the organic part control the machine from the inside?

One word: Kaguya. She is clearly a member of the Lunar tribe, just like Waka. If there was a sequel, she would certainly feature in it. She left in the rocket and we never heard from her again, so she would be perfect for a sequel.

Spoiler:

Oh, that one was up there, but the one where Ammy howls after realizing Issun was never there (did you notice that when you used Mist, you could see the folks who died during the adventue. I caught Rao, for example). It may have been that Yami made that illusion to distract/dishearten Amaterasu. Or maybe it was just being used to Issun after so long.

I mentioned in the post before that I did get something that had Deaths (0), Enemies Defeated (1756), Money earned (9 million), Demon Fangs earned (~660). Was that it? After each of those I got a little goofy wolf icon, ones that greatly resemble the karmic transformer icons I have now.

I guess I never saw the tree, thought it must've been blossoming if I got everything. The bead surprised me though.

Not only that, but Waka's apparently the only one who stayed and helped Amaterasu fight Orochi, essentially the original chosen one. The rest of the Moon Tribe apparently foretold of this event and left the celestial plain and went to a place called the Lunar Realm or something. Notice how Kaguya was called to that ship and departed before the world started turning to shit, aka before the Day of Darkness.

The way the game ended, with them closing in on the Celestial Plain, and a ton of red/bold text mentioning brand new things/places/peoples all point to a sequel having been in mind.

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

HA! I just watched PiccoloNamek's video, and couldn't help but laugh when I saw the screen loading. I swear I could NEVER enlarge all of the paw prints to get that damn demon fang. I would always miss that first one, and would then just get offbeat somehow. FRUSTRATING. Ahh...good times...

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

Ah, about those two missing Gold Dusts --

Spoiler:

In the Ark of Yamato, there's a Celestial Being's spirit who asks Ammy to make an offering. Offering Demon Fangs will let you trade them as you normally would, and offering money does the same thing. The Being sells the remaining two Gold Dusts.

So MS, go ahead and spend all those Gold Dusts.

I was speaking idiomatically.

Originally Posted by SouthJag

Ah, about those two missing Gold Dusts --

Spoiler:

In the Ark of Yamato, there's a Celestial Being's spirit who asks Ammy to make an offering. Offering Demon Fangs will let you trade them as you normally would, and offering money does the same thing. The Being sells the remaining two Gold Dusts.

So MS, go ahead and spend all those Gold Dusts.

Way ahead of you bro, I'm already in Tsuta again. This item is amazing, and yes I used those Gold Dust on the two weapons that hadn't been upgraded then

Spoiler:

Tsukugami and Life Beads

.

How ya doing, buddy?

Geez, I've had the game since launch and just beat it tonight. Man, I'm a slacker. Oh well.

Spoiler:

What a beautiful ending. Issun's inspirational words made me well-up and almost cry. My girlfriend was crying though. Poor thing.

I'm really digging the Karmic Transformers. Some are hilarious, but KT 9 is by far my favorite. At first I thought it was just "ethereal Amaterasu" but after closer inspection, I think it's actually her original 3D model with a heavy outline. Wicked.

And yeah, String of Beads = win.

FELIPE NO

Originally Posted by SouthJag

Geez, I've had the game since launch and just beat it tonight. Man, I'm a slacker. Oh well.

Spoiler:

What a beautiful ending. Issun's inspirational words made me well-up and almost cry. My girlfriend was crying though. Poor thing.

I'm really digging the Karmic Transformers. Some are hilarious, but KT 9 is by far my favorite. At first I thought it was just "ethereal Amaterasu" but after closer inspection, I think it's actually her original 3D model with a heavy outline. Wicked.

And yeah, String of Beads = win.

Spoiler:

Yeah, for a character who was as wise cracking and womanizing as they come, he was probably the best kind of person to deliver that. It was pretty hard seeing Ammy try repeatedly to get him back to the Yamato and when he actually did attempt to go in, the disappointment was almost palpable in that scene. Waka's such a fucking asshole to Issun, even though he obviously meant well.

I'll have to get to the final battle again, but I swear, almost everytime I used Veil of Mist I'd get one of the folks who died during the course of the game. Oh yeah, KT9 is basically the original presentation model. Looking at some of the concept art, that Ammy would've been in a completely different game. One that was definitely more moody/brooding than the lighthearted feel of this game (though those heavy parts are something else entirely).

The string, and the final bead (can't say this enough, after all that trouble, it's downright gorgeous) are easily some of my favorite things to show up in a game in recent memory. I threw on the fourth rosary with a sword as a subweapon and the first boss battle literally ended in the low single digits.

What, you don't want my bikini-clad body?